Phisicke against fortune, aswell prosperous, as aduerse conteyned in two bookes. Whereby men are instructed, with lyke indifferencie to remedie theyr affections, aswell in tyme of the bryght shynyng sunne of prosperitie, as also of the foule lowryng stormes of aduersitie. Expedient for all men, but most necessary for such as be subiect to any notable insult of eyther extremitie. Written in Latine by Frauncis Petrarch, a most famous poet, and oratour. And now first Englished by Thomas Twyne.

Of the fame of writers. The .xliiii. Dialogue.

IOY.

YEA, what say you vnto it, that I write bookes my selfe?

Reason.

A publique disease, contagious, and incurable. Euery man taketh vpon hym the office of writing, which belongeth but to fewe, and one that is sicke of this disease infecteth many: It is an easie matter to enuie, and harde to imitate: so that the number of the sicke encreaseth dayly, and the strength also of the sycknesse waxeth more myghtie: euery day moe doo wryte euery day woorse, by reason that it is an easyer matter to folow, then to ouertake. Very proper, and approued, and founde true by experience, is the saying of the wyse man of the Hebrues: There is no ende of

wrytyng bookes.

Ioy.

I doo write.

Reason.

I woulde wyshe that men coulde keepe them selues within their boundes, and that an order amongst all thynges were obserued, whiche by the rashnesse of men, is confounded: They should write that haue skyll and are able, and other reade and heare. But nowe is it no small pleasure to the minde to vnderstande, vnlesse the proud hand make haste also to pen and paper? and whosoeuer doth vnderstand, or thynke that he vnderstandeth some smal peece of a booke, thin∣keth he hym selfe meete by and by to write bookes? I woulde that this one saying of our countrey man Cicero in the very be∣ginning of his Tusculane questions were engrauen in your me∣mories, so that it myght be knowen vnto all that are in high de∣gree, and place of lyght and knowledge: It may be, sayth he, that a man may meane well, but yet is not able eloquently to vtter that whiche be meaneth. It foloweth also: But for a man to commit his meanyng and thought to writing, that is not able well to dispose and set it foorth in comly order, neyther by any meanes to delyght the Reader, is the part of one rashly abusing both his leasure, and lear∣ning. These woordes of Cicero are most true, but this abuse is nowe growen so common, that euery man taketh that to be sayde to hymselfe, whiche sometyme was to that most holy banished man, who wrote suche matter as he had learned out of the verie fountayne of trueth, and not out of the dryed puddles, sayde, and oftentimes repeated this woorde: (Write.) Whiche commaun∣dement al contemners of al preceptes doo obey: for all doo write. And yf, as I haue sayd, there be so great danger in those that write other mens bookes, what shall we thynke of them that write their owne, and them that be newe? Whereby they bring into the worlde doubtful and damnable artes and opinions, or that, which is the least mischiefe that they commit, they weerie men with theyr rude and vnpleasaunt style, insomuche as who so wanteth in them promptnesse of witte, yf he lyst to loose his tyme and bestowe the traueyle of his yeeres, he shall not want weerinesse. This is the fruite (and none other) of your inuentions, to infect or affect, but seldome or neuer to refreshe. Notwithstandyng all men wryte bookes nowe adayes, and there was neuer suche store of wryters and disputers in any age, and neuer suche

scarcitie of those that are skylful and eloquent. It chaunceth there∣fore that that hapneth vnto these mens bookes whiche Cicero sayth in the same place, And therefore, sayth he, they reade their bookes with their freendes, neither wyll any man touch them, but such as woulde fayne haue the lyke libertie in writing graunted vnto them, This was rare in Ciceroes age, but nowe it is common. And euery man medleth with them, because all woulde haue the same libertie. Thus these triflers, and pamphlet writers, com∣mende, exhort, cheryshe, and pricke foorth one another, and arro∣gate vnto them selues falsly the prayses of other men in lyke ca∣ses. Hereof commeth this boldnesse in writers, and distur∣baunce of matters, and therefore please not thou thy selfe ouer∣muche in writing of bookes.

Ioy.

I wryte bookes.

Reason.

Perhappes thou mayest doo better in readyng them, and conuer∣tyng that whiche thou readest into the rule and gouernment of thy lyfe: For the knowledge of learning is then profitable when it is applyed to purpose, and declareth it selfe in deedes, and not in woordes onely: otherwyse that is often founde to be true whiche is written, Knowledge puffeth vp. To vnderstande perfectly and speedily, to remember many thynges and those great also ex∣actly, to vtter them comly, to write them cunningly, to pronounce them sweetely: vnlesse all these be referred vnto our lyfe, what be they other then the instrumentes of vayne braggerie, and vnpro∣fitable labour, and foolysh ianglyng?

Ioy.

I write bookes.

Reason.

Perhappes it were better for thee to goe to Plough, to keepe Sheepe, to be a Weauer, to play the Mariner. Ma∣ny whom nature hath made Handicraftes men, in despite of her, haue become Philosophers: And contrariwyse, for∣tune hath kept vnder foote some whiche were borne in the feeldes, or vnder hedges, or vppon the shoppe boordes and staulles of Artificers, or the nettyng of Shyppes, whiche were apt to haue been Philosophers. Whereby it commeth to passe, that they that are ignoraunt of the causes doo woonder, yf as in the myddes of the Sea, or Countrey, in the Wooddes, and Shoppes, there be founde sharpe and quicke wittes, when as in the Schooles there be dull and blockyshe: For yf nature be wonne, she is hardly wonne.

Ioy.

I write earnesty.

Reason.

Howe muche more earnestly haue some written in fore tymes, whose heate is so extinguished, that it were vnknowen whether euer they had written or noe, vnlesse other had written so of them. No humane woorke endureth alwayes, and mor∣tall labour maketh no immortall thyng.

Ioy.

I wryte much.

Reason.

Howe muche more haue other written? Who can recken the woorkes of Cicero, or Varro? Who can recite the bookes which Titus Liuius or Plinius hath written? There is one Grecian, who wrote, as it is sayde, sixe thousande bookes. O feruent spirite, if this be true, O long and quiet leasure? Truely if it be a businesse of great trauell to write well one or two bookes: that one man shoulde wryte so many thousande, it is not so easie to beleeue, as strange to wonder at: Howbeit writers of credite doo report it, whom it were hard not to beleeue, who say that they haue not onely hearde so, but also seene them, and that more is, knowne it to be true, for that them selues haue read the bookes: whiche yf it be a marue∣lous matter that one man coulde reade so many, is it not more marueyle that one man coulde write them all? It were ouer∣long to repeate what men amongst you, and amongst the Gretians haue written, and what they haue written among whom none hath been fully fortunate to the full accomplish∣ment of his studie: but that some part of the one, and a great part of the other, and some, are wholy perished, and therefore looke what thou canst prognosticate of thyne owne studies.

Ioy.

I wryte, that is myne onely delyght.

Reason.

If it be to exercise thy witte, and in writing vnto others to in∣struct thy selfe, yf to forget the tyme, and to the intent that by the remembraunce of that whiche is past thou mayest auoyde the present weerisomenesse, I doo excuse thee, and yf thou doo it to the intent to cure thy secret and incurable disease of wrytyng, then doo I take pitie vppon thee. For there be some, yf thou knowest not so much, which would not write, but because they can not leaue of, and running as it were headlong downe an hyll, and vnwilling to stay, are forcibly caried away with that desire.

Ioy.

I haue a great courage to write.

Reason.

They say there be infi∣nite kinds of Melancholie. Some cast stones, some write bookes,

and to write so, vnto one is the beginnyng of madnesse, and to an∣other the ende.

Ioy.

I haue, and doo write much.

Reason.

If it be to profi••e posteritie, there is nothing better: If to gette a name only, there is nothing more vayne.

Ioy.

I haue writ∣ten muche.

Reason.

O notable madnesse, and may we mar∣ueyle then yf paper be deerer then it was wout to be?

Ioy.

I write, and thereby I looke for fame.

Reason.

As I sayde ere∣whyle, perhaps it were better for thee to digge, and goe to plough, and thereby to hope for a good Haruest: for it is salfer sowing in the ground, then in the winde. For the studie of fame, and earnest trauell in writyng, as it hath aduaunced the renowme of many, so hath it sent ouer innumerable to be fooles and beggers in their olde age, and shewed them bare and babblyng spectacles to the common people. For whyle ye be writing, fyt tyme for better traueyles escapeth away: and beyng rauished, and forgetting your selues, ye marke not so muche, vntyll at last olde age and pouertie awake ye.

Ioy.

Notwithstanding, I write for desire of fame.

Reason.

A strange desire, for paynes, to seeke winde: Truely A had thought, that Saylers only had wished for winde.